An Italian Wedding
by Holy Roman Empire
Summary: Romana is constantly told she's a failure by her grandfather for not getting married. Then again, her grandfather still has ideals from the Roman Empire. Then in walks a handsome American foreigner who is the opposite of what her grandfather wants and everything that Romana wants. Fem Romano
1. Chapter 1

_My grandfather expects three things from me: one, that I marry a catholic man, two, that I birth as many grandchildren as humanly possible, and three, that I never do anything with my life. My sister Felicity does not have as bad but my little brother Romeo is starting to feel the pressure to find a good wife._

 _He's seventeen._

 _Feli is the favorite grandchild so she isn't as pressured as I am but Nonno is passive aggressive and slips up a bit when trying to be subtle._

 _I'm the oldest and since I haven't started my book like I planned, I'm the disappointment. I'm stuck working in a dead end job as a waitress, I go home to a passive aggressive grandfather with ideals from the Roman Empire and a sister who is probably just as emotionally damaged as I am. I always wonder how she can smile. I forgot how years ago._

 _Sometimes, I allow myself to daydream that someone would actually marry me. But it's only a daydream and I have to-_

"Wake up Romana. The customers are not going to feed themselves." Timothy piled dishes that made her mouth water onto a try and passed it to her. "Table four."

Romana groaned from being torn from her thoughts and looked at the clock. Only three more hours until she could leave. Three more hours until she could return home.

A burning fire raged inside her. She went over this mornings argument with her grandfather in her head and added what she should have said. Witty remarks that probably get her kicked out for but at least she would have been able to quench the wildfire inside.

She silently gave the family their food and passed by the window.

She always did.

Everyday.

But this time, she did something that she never did; she looked outside.

But this is where it got strange, someone across the street, a young man, blond hair, blue eyes, cowlick that defied gravity stopped midlaugh and looked her in the eyes. Blue met green and it was like their souls connected. He blinked and waved.

Was he smiling at her?

Romana looked over her shoulder, saw no one looking out the window, and back to the young man. She waved back and for a moment it looked like he was going to cross the street to see her but he was pulled in the opposite direction by an albino looking man and a tall blond wild-haired man with an annoying grin. He looked over shoulder and her heart squeezed when she saw his puppy dog eyes.

Why was her heart aching? He was just a tourist.

Therese took her tray when she got back to the kitchen. "Are you okay? Your cheeks are red."

"No I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Trouble at home?"

"I said I'm fine!" She snapped.

Therese stepped back a little startled but she stepped forward and pulled Romana into a hug. "I don't know what is going on at home, or what you are going through, but if you ever need someone to talk to or a place to stay, my home is always open for you."

Romana nearly flinched when Therese pulled her into that hug. Therese must have felt it because she held her closer and tighter. It felt almost motherly.

Grandfather never hugged her, Feli only hugged her when Nonno showed her a sliver of what he shows Romana and needed someone there, and Romeo is a boy and doesn't think it's cool to hug his sisters.

"One of these days, I'm getting out." She vowed to her friend.

"I hope you mean it."

Romana had been saying it for years. Every time she packs to leave, it was like Nonno became an entirely different person and it made her think that maybe he wasn't so bad but he'd show his true colors. Every time she stayed for her siblings. If she left, Feli might finally break.

...

"Und after we get directions back to Rome, Mathias and I will take you to Berlin where you can meet my brother!" Gilbert announced.

"And then you have to come to Køge and meet my family! Oh I am so happy it's your turn to be the foreign exchange student!" Mathias exclaimed.

"I'm not an exchange student. I'm just doing my year abroad to teach English so I can pass my classes and finally graduate." Alfred said.

"You are not in America and you are doing something school related. That makes you an exchange student. By the way, how's your pretty sister doing?" Gilbert asked.

"Maddy is fine."

"Alfred, are you ok?" Mathias asked.

Now that Madeleine Jones was temporarily removed from Gilbert's train of thought, he noticed that Alfred was lacking his usual enthusiasm. He also had a far away look in his eyes.

He threw his arm around his friend. "Mein bruder from another family, you can tell us anything."

"I think I saw an angel."

Mathias chuckled but quickly stopped.

"Mein Gott. He serious."

...

Romana pulled into her grandfather's driveway. She could do it. Take her brother and sister and move out like planned but Romeo had to finish school and Feli and her couldn't support themselves on waitress and tour guide salaries and tuition. She parked her Vespa and she walked to the front door. She took a deep breath and walked into her war zone.

Her grandfather father was in the kitchen making supper so Romana avoided that like the plague and snuck upstairs. She shouldn't have to sneak in but she wanted to avoid a fight and she didn't feel like seeing Nonno right now. She saw the light was on in her room and her immediate thought was _'Oh shit.'_

She opened her door and saw her brother and sister curled up on her bed watching something on Netflix. Feli looked up and poked Romeo. His expression changed from nervousness to relief when he saw his big sister. Romana didn't say anything as she crawled under the covers with them and watched the cartoon about space lions and aliens.

They didn't talk and they didn't have too. For now the house was quiet but they all knew that the someone would explode sooner or later.

Dinner was like walking through a mine field blindfolded. The three siblings kept their heads down towards their food and Nonno Romulus had his eyes wonder from Romeo, who froze for a second, to Felicity, whose hand shook slightly, to Romana who faced him head on and did not back down.

Tensions were thick they could have been cut with dull safety scissors.

"Work?" He asked, almost forced.

"Fine." She bit her tongue.

"Good."

' _Come on, say what you really what to say! That I'm the family disappointment! That you prefer my sister! Just admit it! I dare you!'_

"I'm not hungry." Romana stood up quickly and cleared her dishes. Romeo and Feli were not far behind her. Before Romulus could say anything, Romana was riding down the street with Romeo and Felicity with her. She didn't know where to go, but for now they just need to drive.


	2. Chapter 2

**I own nothing.**

 **There is a bit at the bottom where Alfred and Gilbert poke fun at the French language. It's meant to be funny and if you speak French, you are my hero because that is a difficult language for me to understand. I speak English, Spanish, and German but I can't understand French.**

 **Kudos to you French speaking readers. And a cookie of goodwill and friendship.**

* * *

Alfred's first day of school was nerve wrecking. He wasn't just a new student, he was the new student teacher. Everything he did, the students and teachers would be watching him like hawks. They wanted someone from England to teach, but since they were too posh with that accent, and didn't really have anyone willing to come to Germany, they got a very enthusiastic and rather nervous American.

He took a deep breath. In and out.

"Guten morgen. Ich bin Herr Jones and I will be your English teacher. Let's begin with introductions in English so I can assess how much you know and then we can work from there."

His beating heart slowed down. Unknown to him, many of the students had a single thought running through their minds: _oh no he's hot!_

 _..._

Romana signed up for some writing classes at a nearby college. It was her start to becoming an author and though it was small to some, she was proud of herself for doing something. They would take place after she got off work so she did not have to go home until midnight.

She was a bit hesitant applying but Feli told her it would be fine. "You might be a bit rusty so this would be good practice for your book." She said.

' _Well_ ,' she thought. ' _Here it goes.'_

She took a deep breath and walked in the classroom.

...

Felicity felt incredibly guilty for lying, but Romeo was at a friend's house and she honestly didn't want to be in the house with Nonno unless Romana was there to be her buffer. It wasn't that she didn't like Nonno, it was just that he could be...intense. Though Romana received the full force of his intensity on a daily, Feli was left in a small pool of fear of her grandfather.

If...no. When Romana left, once she finally had enough, would he be just as _intense_ to her as he was to Romana?

So Feli lied about what she was doing. It wasn't anything new, she was quite good at it. After all, if she wasn't, well...

She parked her car at a park, got out and breathed in the wonderful Swiss air.

"I'm glad you could make it." Ludwig said as he kissed her hand like a gentleman.

Felicity smiled. "I almost couldn't. My grandfather is starting to suspect something and is asking questions like why I fill up on gas more often than my sister."

"And you said?" He led her to a grassy spot.

"That I worry about being stranded with an empty tank of gas. I don't want to lie to him it's just...he so scary!" She sat down in the grass.

Ludwig sat next to her. He knew all about her grandfather. When he first asked Felicity if he could meet him, she went pale and her golden eyes went wide in fear. She had begged him not to meet her grandfather because if he disapproved on Ludwig, he would never be seen again. Or that is what she said. Ludwig promised not to meet him before Felicity was ready. But he had to suspect, did he ever...?

"If you need to talk, I'll listen. If you want to sit in silence, I'll sit with you." He took her hand and looked into her eyes.

It took a long time before she could look him in the eyes and not flinch. What did her grandfather do her?

Her beautiful golden eyes graced his. "I just want to be with you. That would be enough."

She laid down in her back and held his hand when he did to. Felicity could never put the right words together when she wanted to tell him just how much Ludwig meant to her. He was her lifeboat in a raging black ocean. He was a calm, patient man that respected her and her distance. She wanted to tell him everything and maybe she would...one day. But for now, she was content just lying in the park with her soulmate.

Staring at the stars.

...

Romana was excited for the first written assignment. She had to develop a character. She knew the height, gender, personality, likes, dislikes, but what she really need was a name.

That should have been easy as there were many people that she did not like and their names were crossed off the list immediately. She had to sleep now, work started at six in the morning.

...

Alfred drove to Gilbert's house after his first day of teaching. He dug the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Gilbert was in the living room playing video games and Alfred saw no sign of Ludwig so he must have been out with his girlfriend.

"Hey man, what took you so long?" Gilbert called from the couch.

"Meeting after school went longer than planned. Grabbed something to eat on the way home."

"How was my best friend's first day of teaching?" Gilbert paused the game.

"It was fine. Students were great. They listened. But I kept thinking about that angel."

"The one you saw in Italy that had you moping like a lovesick puppy?"

"Yes. That's the one."

"So what are you waiting around here for? Get your ass back to Italy and see the girl! Talk to her! Ask her on a date! Use those American charms and make me proud to be your friend!" He stood up and paced like a drill sargent.

Alfred sighed. "A lady as fair as she must have a dozen suitors and is to be courted as she most definitely deserves to be courted."

"You lovesick fool. You make me want to barf."

"And what of your feelings for Madeleine!"

"Oh what I wouldn't give to have the opportunity to kiss the ground on which she stands. That magnificent lady should have been a queen for then the world would know of her beauty and grace." Gilbert jumped onto the sofa and declared to the ceiling fan.

"But woe to me for I know not my fair lady's name!"

"An ocean doth parts mein leibling from me!"

"At least Madeleine isn't dating anyone! The girl of my dreams just might be married!"

"You don't know that!"

They both realized that they were standing on the couch with their hands on the others shoulders.

"Well this looks gay." Gilbert said as flopped on the couch.

"So it's that simple? I go back to that restaurant and ask her on a date?"

"Yep. And invite me to the wedding."

"And if she doesn't speak English?"

"You're fluent in three languages. You'll figure something out. Isn't Spanish like, Italian's drunk cousin?" Gilbert asked.

"I'm my personal opinion, I think it's French that is the drunk cousin. Seriously, who crams the entire alphabet into a word and pronounces only three letters?"

"A drunk person."

"Exactly."

Ludwig came home to find his brother and American friend passed out on the couch with a game paused on the tv. He turned it off and went to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Alfred had to wait until the weekend before he could drive to that small town in Italy where he, Mathias, and Gilbert got lost to see that angel. Until then, he focused on his student teaching and quickly became the coolest teacher in his professional opinion. He bonded quickly with the students and actually gained five more students. When he told Gilbert the man said it was his American charm.

During his last class of the day, he decided to ask his students a question.

"Since it is almost the end of the day, I'll give you some free time. But I do have a question; how do you ask a girl out on a date?" He asked in German.

The students were confused. Did their teacher not know how to ask a girl out?

A girl named Sophie raised her hand. "Have you ever asked someone out on a date?"

Alfred shook his head.

"Wow. Then, you are going to be nervous-" Kurt began.

"Why the hell would he be nervous? He's American! The crazy people have no fear!" Lutz questioned.

"Well, girls can be intimidating and then there are butterflies that fly around in your stomach making you feel nauseous."

Lutz looked Kurt in the eye and growled menacingly, "Digest the damn butterflies then. Man up and ask this lady out."

"I personally think that it is an honor to be included in his love life like this. Herr Jones, take a deep breath to calm your nerves before hand and go for it. She's a lucky lady to be asked out on a date by you."

"Danke Luisa."

...

He retraced his steps on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Italy trying to find familiar buildings and the restaurant. He held the piece of paper that had Italian from google translate. Being a soon to be foreign language teacher, Alfred had grown to despise google translate but since he was in a hurry to buy a English to Italian book, it would have to do.

Simple questions like _what is your name?_ or _do you speak English?_ and _will you go on a date with me?_ were such questions on the list.

Oh thank God! He found it!

And just in time because his stomach growled attracting some looks from passerbys.

He was seated by a kind woman with a Dutch accent and was in the middle of ordering an authentic plate of spaghetti when he paused. There she was with a tray full delicious looking pasta. She was strong balancing all of that on one hand. He saw her brow raise in concentration as she passed the plates around and her green eyes sparkled when the sun hit them. He was a goner.

He noticed the blonde waitress waiting patiently and gave an honest apology.

She smiled. "Her name is Romana and if you want to talk to her, I could switch tables with her so she'll deliver your food."

"Thank you so much."

"Just a question first, what the hell do you think you are going to do? She is like a sister to me and I don't want her hurt." She said this with a smile on her face.

She scared Alfred.

"I saw her a week ago and I wanted to introduce myself but my friends pulled me away before I could. Please don't kill me."

The waitress smiled and her green eyes shone bright. She looked like a kitten. "Oh you are so adorable. I'll have her bring your food. Just..." she paused. "Be careful with her."

Waiting for his food to be delivered by the girl of his dreams was agony. His heart raced and his palms were sweaty and his knees shook. He practiced the Italian he wrote in hushed whispers to his glass of water and could only wait.

"Spaghetti." A tired voice shook him from his thoughts. She was standing right there. Her brown hair up in a messy bun and a single curl fell out giving her the appearance of a Greek or Roman goddess. Her green eyes were dull and tired but he could see a small spark. There was a fake smile on her lips. What would she look like if she wore a real smile?

"Yes. Thank you and," this was it. "I tuoi occhi sono belli."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Did he say the right words?

"Thank you. That was very sweet but your pronunciation and accent are shit."

Alfred laughed. "Well, not bad for my first words in Italian."

She gave a strained smile. "Not bad. But not good. Romana." She placed the spaghetti in front of him and tucked her tray at her side.

"My name is Alfred and this is taking all of my courage and sanity to say this so," he took a deep breath. "Will you go on a date with me? Please?"

Romana was stunned. Threrese asked her to switch tables, exchanging her table with a very cute guy in exchange for a family that was letting their children get away with shit. She never did that and this cute guy had the nerve to ask her out on a date.

That bastard.

That really nice bastard.

And he looked nervous while he did it. Damn it all why did he have to be cute? One date wouldn't hurt.

"My shift ends at 4. We could do something then on our date."

Alfred smiled and his heart pounded in his chest and he felt happy and excited and then the daunting pressure of the fact he needed to impress Romana.

"Thank you so much for saying yes. And I do mean it. You have beautiful eyes." He flashed her a charming smile as she turned away.

He could not see it, but there was a faint shadow of a true smile on her lips. Romanas heart leaped and looked forward to the end of her shift for the first time ever.

Therese pulled her aside and whispered, "So?"

"I...have a date." Even as she said the words, Romana could not comprehend that someone as cute as Alfred would as her on a date.

Therese squealed and her brother Timothy glared at the two of them.

"I hope he treats you well. You deserve someone who will love you more than I do. I say that as your best friend, Romana."

As they talked in the kitchens, Alfred called Gilbert and told him about the date. Then he hung up because Gilbert was being an ass and complaining that he was rubbing in the fact that he was on a date with his dream girl while Madeleine was in the States.

...

Alfred waited for Romana to get off work. He didn't wait in the restaurant because that would have been stalkerish and he didn't want to be that guy. So he ca,e up with a bunch of questions, general ones like siblings and pets and then personal ones like dreams and how does she take her fries.

He saw her near the door but he beat her to it. He opened the door and smiled. "M'lady."

He held out his arm when she walked through and to his delight, she took it but she seemed shy and her cheeks turned bright red. Dear Lady Liberty, she was adorable.

"Well, now that we are on a date, I can ask you some questions I have been thinking of since you asked me out this afternoon." She said.

"Alright. I'll answer truthfully then."

"What do you do for a living?" She asked seriously.

"Well, I'm still in college to be a teacher. I'm doing my student teaching in Germany and what I do is I teach English. I want to be a foreign language teacher because all my teachers were very fun and they seemed to enjoy their jobs." He said smiling.

Damn that cute smile.

"You'll teach German?"

"When I graduate, I'll be qualified to teach both Spanish and German. I think I'll do both."

"Wow. You are really smart." He just impressed Romana on the first question. He was the first one to ever do that.

"Not really. My sister is the smart one." He brushed it off.

"No. You dedicated yourself to not only learn one language, but two. I can speak English well because I need to communicate with tourists and my brain hurts at the end of the day for multiple reasons. But you, don't ever let anyone say you are not smart because fuck them." Romana's eyes flared and her mouth twitched.

Alfred's heart skipped a beat. "As much as I appreciate you for telling me I'm smart, I really mean that my sister is smart. I am older than Maddie by two years and she skipped two grades. I was also a straight A student but I can't compete with my genius sister."

"Damn. Your sister is smart."

"I know. Just don't tell her I said that."

They laughed for a moment. But neither saw a pot hole in the sidewalk and Romana tripped. She braced herself for the fall but she was dipped in the arms of that blue eyed blond.

They stared in each other's eye and Romana saw promises in his eyes. A promise that he'd never let her fall. That he would catch her if she did. If for some reason that she did fall, he would be at her side. She saw many promises and for the first time in her life, she felt that they were real.

Alfred saw uncertainty in her eyes. He saw fear, rejection, pain, and a blazing fire that was barely contained. He wanted to feel the warmth of the fire, he wanted to play with it, set it loose. He wanted nothing more than to make this woman smile. He silently promised her the world.

"So when is the wedding?" An Canadian tourist shouted, breaking their eye contact.

Alfred brought Romana to a standing position and released his grip on her and laughed awkwardly.

Romana found it to be kind of cute.

"I'll let you know." He answered.

Alfred couldn't be serious. Why would he want to marry her? What could he possibly see in her?

"You should not joke like that idiota." She grumped and pouted.

"What makes you think I'm joking?"

Dispite the rocky stark at the beginning, the date ended quite well. Romana breathed a sigh of relief when he said that he believed in God. Granted he was Evangelical and she Roman Catholic but they could make it work. He assured her that he didn't have a problem with Catholics as some of his cousins were Catholic.

"My other cousins are Jewish which makes Easter interesting but Christmas and Hanukkah are always a blast." He said.

Alfred walked her to her Vespa and kissed her hand. "Thank you very much for allowing me the company of the most beautiful girl in Europe."

"In Europe?" She raised an eyebrow.

"My mom is the prettiest woman in North America. I can't say world yet. So, Romana Vargas, if you would allow me, I would love to take you in a second date."

"Well, Alfred Jones, I would not be opposed to it." She teased. What was she doing? This was too bold for the first date! Abort mission!

He took out a napkin out of his coat pocket and scribbled a number. "This is my cell number, if you have free time, let me know so I can sweep you off your feet."

 _'Oh Mary, Queen of Saints, pray for me!'_

"Great. I will let you know soon but I have to get home. Goodnight Alfredo." She started her bike and rode off into the night with her heart leaping among the stars.

Alfred watched and smiled. His heart thudding rapidly in his chest. He knew from that moment that he was going to marry her.

"I'm going to marry her one day." He said softly.


	4. Chapter 4

**I own nothing.**

* * *

"You had one date with her and now you are thinking of marrying her? You are crazy!" Gilbert shouted as he aggressively mopped the kitchen.

"I don't know how to describe it other than a voice telling me that she's the woman that I'm going to marry."

"Ok, you Americans are nuts. How long are you going to date her before you take an arrow to the knee?" Mathias asked as he spilled some Doritos crumbs on Gilbert's freshly mopped floor.

"I'm not going to propose until I know her better. Maybe three to five years of dating and getting to know her better. Whatever makes her comfortable in the whole dating thing."

"Alright. That's a good answer. Sensible and DAMNIT MATHIAS I JUST CLEANED THAT!" Gilbert shouted as he saw the crumbs.

The Danish man grinned sheepishly and rolled the bag up and jumped up to sit on the counter.

"Oh no you don't!" Gilbert thrusted the mop at him. " You are going to mop every single crevice of this floor and you are going to think about why you would eat Doritos over my clean floor!"

Mathias groaned but took the mop.

"So, how did the first date go? You're so happy it's making me sick."

"We talked to get to know each other better, I showed her things I thought were awesome and she told me the history behind them and we exchanged phone numbers." Alfred said as he swiped the bag of Doritos.

"Did you text her?" Mathias purposely mopped Gilbert's socks.

Gilbert kicked him in the shin.

"No." Alfred turned pale. "Does she want me to text her? What if I do something wrong and she doesn't answer or want to talk to me ever again?!"

"Wow. You'd think the way you're acting this is the first girl you have ever gone on a date." Mathias snickered.

Alfred was quiet and the Dane and the East German men shared a look and their shocked expressions turned to sly grins.

"Oh sweet innocent little Alfie..." Gilbert snickered.

"You're one to talk. Our haven't dated anyone since you made up your mind to marry my sister."

"I never said I wanted to marry Birdie. I only want to kiss the ground on which she walks. And if I have her brother's blessings..." he looked at Alfred.

He swallowed his mouthful of Doritos. "I told you, you can date my sister. I trust you to treat her with the respect that she most definitely deserves, to let the zombies turn you before they ever thought to harm her, and in the unlikely event that something should come between you two, I trust that you will kindly remember that I was in the Boy Scouts since I was five and in the National Guard up until last summer. I would rather have someone I know and trust rather than a guy I can't stand."

"That means a lot to me mein friend. I will protect your sister from zombies!"

"What are you doing?" Ludwig walked into the kitchen still wearing his coat. He was seeing Felicity but they did not need to know that.

"We are talking about our feelings. Join us little brother!"

"I will respectfully decline."

"Come here and share your feelings!"

"Nein." He turned to walk away.

"Hey Ludwig, want a dorito?" Alfred held out the bag.

Ludwig looked at the bag then Alfred and then deemed it safe to eat because it wasn't Gilbert offering. He took a handful and left.

"I really thought he was going to share his feelings. Or at least who he sneaks off to see." Gilbert sighed.

"I texted her."

...

Romana and her grandfather were doing the dishes. She didn't have a class on Friday nights so that meant family bonding time. She suspected that things were getting a little better but it was difficult to be sure. So until proven otherwise, she walked as if the floor was broken glass.

"How are your writing classes?" He broke the silence.

She nearly dropped the glass she was washing in the sink. "It's fine."

Romana cursed the broken dishwasher. They wouldn't be able to get it replaced until next Tuesday.

"Are you sleeping well? I know you work all day and then you have your classes at night. If you don't sleep well, you'll burn out." He said. Was that concern in his tone?

"I told you I'm fine." She aggressively began to clean a plate.

"I'm sorry for the fight. I just wanted you to know."

It seemed kind of forced. Was he really sorry or was he just saying that to get it over with? He always did this; apologize and then when they seemed to have put it behind them, it blew up in their faces.

They continued washing dishes in silence. It was not a tense silence and they were not at each other's throats, but Romana would take it. As soon as the dishes were done, they went their separate ways: Nonno to his study and Romana to her room to write.

Well, she calls it writing but she really spent most of her time on baby name websites. One of the assignments was to create a character and holy shit was it difficult. It was like she was naming her firstborn.

' _Jessica...June...Margo...Nadia...Son of a bitch this is hard.'_ Romana massaged her temples and groaned out of frustration. She grabbed her character sheet and read through it.

"Blonde hair, indigo eyes, tsundere personality...why is this person familiar?" Eventually she gave up and went on Facebook. It was one of her friends and she knew it.

"Signy Bondevik, I knew it." She muttered. She looked at her profile and then an idea came to her. She sent a message with the idea and question.

BUZZNT!

Romana snatched her phone and looked at the text.

' _Hello, this is Alfred. How are you? I was wondering if you would like to go on a second date? You can say no but I promise that it will be like nothing you have ever expected.'_

He...he wanted to go on a second date? With her? She couldn't deny that she hoped for a second date but it seemed to far fetched. She felt her heartbeat quicken and why was her mouth curving up in a smile? What was that warm feeling in her chest?

She wanted to say yes.

So she did.

* * *

This was her second date? A trip to a store? Romana was feeling unimpressed and disappointed with Alfred at the moment.

"Just wait. It gets better I promise." He smiled that stupid, adorable smile and led her through the isles.

He finally stopped in front of a lobster tank.

"I'm confused. Why are we in front of a lobster tank?" She asked.

"This is a date unlike any other. Have you ever been on a date to see lobsters fight in their tank?"

"...No."

Well, Romana had to give him creativity and originality points.

They watched the lobsters for over an hour, naming them, betting on the winners, and eventually, shedding a tear when Ignacio Clementine "Billy Bob" Roberto the XVII was chosen to be someone's meal.

"Well, Alfredo, this date was not what I expected but I had fun."

"Thank you for agreeing to go with me. Do you want me to escort you back home?" He asked. What a gentleman!

"No thank you. I don't think my grandfather would like it if I brought a stranger home with me."

"I hope I am not a stranger any longer."

"Perhaps you will not be on a third date. Ciao."

Before Alfred could stop her she dashed into the sea of tourists and locals. It was when Romana got home and in her room that she realized something.

Alfred didn't correct her pronunciation of his name.


End file.
